An abstract provides a concise summary of your research by introducing your research question, your methods, your findings, and your conclusion. 

The abstract is perhaps the most important section of your application as it allows the conference organizers to decide if your project should be selected for the conference. With that in mind, please craft your abstract carefully. 

The abstract should be 100 – 250 words in length, with 250 words as a strict upper limit. Here is a structure you can follow while writing your abstract.  Note that each bullet point should be at most a few sentences in length.  Also note that the following components are suggestions, intended to help you organize your ideas, but may not be appropriate for every research topic.  You are free to use a different format if that seems more appropriate for your work.

Abstract Components

• Title.
        A brief and apt title
   
• Brief Background/​Research Context
       What is the broader context for this research?  What do we already know about the topic?  Why is the topic important?  What questions are researchers concerned with today?
   
• Present Research Question/​Purpose
       What is the study about?  What question(s) are you asking?
   
• Methods/​Techniques/​Materials
       How was the study done?
   
• Results/​Findings  
      What did you discover? 
   

• Conclusion/​Implications/​Recommendations
     What does it mean?  Why is it significant? 

Sample Abstract from Last Year’s SURC (Yamini Menon and Dr. Divya Uma):

Title: Hunting behaviour of jumping spider stenaelurillus lesserti (Salticidae) with different types of prey

Abstract: Jumping spiders are active hunters, known for their excellent vision. This makes jumping spiders interesting organisms to study predatory strategies. Stenaelurillus lesserti is a jumping spider found in the grassy fields of Bangalore, these spiders have a variety of walking and flying  prey. We hypothesise that for walking prey (termites), spiders will actively move behind and capture them. For flying prey (moths), we expect spiders to predict their location, intercept and then capture them. We performed a behavioral assay where we video recorded the interaction of jumping spiders towards termites or moths inside a Petri dish for 10 mins or until the spider captured the prey. We analysed the number of attacks, distance to attack, orientation, capture success and time taken to attack the prey. The trajectories of the spider and prey are being generated using tracking software. Our preliminary results indicate that spiders successfully capture termites 100% of the time while they successfully capture moths only 77% of the time. On average, spiders made twice as many attacks on moths as compared to termites. The trajectory data analysis is ongoing. This project can help us understand prey-specific hunting strategies in small animals such as jumping spiders. Studies tracking and quantifying hunting behaviour in jumping spiders are scarce, so this project can help bridge this gap in the literature.

Important Notes

• Although more than one team member can attend the conference, only one person/​lead author will be allowed to present the paper.
• Your abstracts will go through a review process and the abstracts deemed unsuitable by reviewers may be declined
• Abstract acceptance is ultimately decided by the conference organizers.
• For further guidelines on writing an abstract, you can visit: https://​urc​.ucdavis​.edu/​h​o​w​-​w​r​i​t​e​-​a​b​s​tract

1. What is the timing of the conference?

   SURC 2026 is a one-day conference to be held on 5 December 2026. The conference starts at 8 AM.

    

2. Do I have to pay the fee while submitting my abstract?

   No. After your abstract submission, if your abstract is selected, we will send you an email with the registration details. After that, you will need to pay the registration fee.
    

3. Can I get travel reimbursement?

   No, the University will not reimburse any personal expenses of participants. However, buses will be arranged to pick up participants from major hubs/​centres of Bengaluru.
    

4. Is accommodation available?

   Accommodation is NOT available. Anyone joining from outside Bengaluru will have to arrange their own travel and accommodation.
    

5. What does the registration fee cover?

   The registration fee covers lunch/​refreshments and local transport (buses arranged by the University on the day of the conference).
    

6. Can we share the email sent to us about registration with others who wish to join the conference? 

   No. This conference is only open to those whose abstracts are chosen. 
    

7. When will we know if our abstract is selected?

   An email will be sent to you from the surc@​apu.​edu.​in around mid Oct 2026. Kindly check your spam folder too.
    

8. Who can attend the conference?

   Undergraduate students or first-year Postgraduate students whose abstracts are selected can attend the conference.
    

9. Who can submit an abstract for this conference?

   Students of any science discipline who are enrolled in an Undergraduate programme or have completed their Undergraduate programme or are currently in their first year of Postgraduation can submit. 
    

10. Can faculty/​Undergraduate instructors attend?

    No. The conference does not encourage faculty/​instructors to attend. Faculty cannot present posters or talks.
     

11. Can students attend without submitting an abstract?

    No. Your abstract has to be accepted for you to attend the conference. If you don’t submit an abstract, you cannot attend. The conference is not open to all.

     

12. We have done a project and prepared an abstract as a group. Can groups present?

    Group members may register individually if they are part of the author list of a select abstract for a talk or a poster. However, only one group member can present. All attendees will have to pay the registration fee if they are attending the conference. Ensure that you mention this in the registration form in the appropriate space provided.
     

13. How many members can be part of a group?

    A group can have a maximum of four members.
     

14. Will all the members of the group be given a certificate?

    Yes. All members will be given the certificate.

     

15. Will all the members of the group have to pay the registration fees?

    Yes. All members of the group will have to pay the registration fee individually.

     

16. When will the registration portal be open?

    The registration portal will be open once abstract selection is complete. This will be announced on the website and via e‑mail around Oct-Nov 2026.

     

17. When will details/​timetable of the event be made available?

    After the registration process, you will be sent more detailed information about your presentation.

     

18. Can I get a local cab refund, if I am not able to catch the bus?

    No. A refund is not available. Buses will be arranged from different locations of Bengaluru and details will be e‑mailed to each participant well in advance. Participants are encouraged to plan accordingly.

     

19. Who has to pay the registration fee of INR 250?

    All those who attend the conference have to pay the registration fee.